Eastern Hoover residents tell officials they don't want to be city's stepchildren
Residents in eastern Hoover tonight told city officials they would like to see more city amenities on their side of town.
Greystone resident Trevor Nelson, who was one of about 30 people at the fourth Future Hoover meeting designed to let residents share their vision for the city, said some people on the eastern side of Hoover have long felt like the stepchildren who get overlooked.
The eastern side of Hoover needs more meeting spaces, recreational opportunities and a Hoover library branch, residents said.
Greystone resident Kelly Orr said there are very few places for groups to hold meetings in eastern Hoover. Mayor Frank Brocato said city officials realize that and are grateful the Hoover school system allowed the city to hold tonight’s meeting at Greystone Elementary.
Ruth Cole, another Greystone resident, said people in eastern Hoover love the Hoover parks and recreation sports programs because they are so economical, but they don’t like having to travel all the way across town to participate.
Rocky Ridge is the closest Hoover parks and recreation location, she said, and it would be nice to have options that are more conveniently located.
Orr said some people choose the Greystone YMCA programs instead, but the city of Hoover programs are 10 times better.
Another resident said she formerly lived in the part of Vestavia Hills close to central Hoover and was a frequent user of the Hoover Public Library. She now lives in eastern Hoover, and the biggest thing she misses is the library. She would like to see the city provide the same library services at a facility in eastern Hoover, she said.
Brocato said the library’s long-term plan has identified the need for a branch in eastern Hoover and that is something city officials are “looking hard at.” They’re giving a lot of thought about putting some type of library facility in the Tattersall Park development near the corner of U.S. 280 and Alabama 119, he said.
The mayor said city officials do not consider eastern Hoover to be a stepchild.
Hoover Council President Gene Smith said the City Council chambers at the Hoover Municipal Center soon will be renovated and the council will be holding its meetings in different parts of the city while that takes place. Some of those meetings could possibly take place at Greystone Elementary, he said.
Nelson said he thinks it’s good for city officials to have some meetings like tonight’s meeting on the eastern side of town because it increases interaction with residents.
Tattersall Park was another topic of conversation tonight.
Brocato said city officials have been meeting with the landowner, Ebsco, to try to come up with a better plan for development. The company’s original plan for the property was terrible and not what city officials want to see in commercial developments anymore, he said.
City Administrator Allan Rice said Hoover doesn’t want any more strip centers. “People want to shop in neighborhood retail settings,” Rice said. “It’s just a better quality of life experience.”
Brocato said the Ebsco representatives came back with a revised plan that looks pretty good. However, it includes some apartments because village-type commercial developments need people living close by to make them work financially, he said.
Brocato said city officials like the new plan but told the developer they have to sell the plan to existing nearby residents in Greystone. Now, the developer is talking with the Greystone Homeowners Association about its plan.
The current plan includes a village-style retail development with an apartment complex across the street, Brocato said. The apartments have large floor plans and high rents, Rice said. The plan could change, but currently the smaller one-bedroom units in the plan would be 1,100 square feet, Rice said.
There would be sidewalks on both sides of the streets in Tattersall Park and sidewalks leading to the gate to the residential portion of Greystone, Rice said, adding that connectivity is very important.
Transportation was also a topic of discussion at the meeting. One woman said she doesn’t want to see special traffic lanes for buses on U.S. 280. She would rather see high-occupancy vehicle lanes.
Brocato said that, to him, bus rapid transit is the only reasonable solution to help alleviate some of the congestion on U.S. 280. But city officials will continue to study the issue, he said.
Cole said some of the turn lanes at traffic lights on Valleydale Road need to be extended, particularly at Veterans Park. Orr suggested a new traffic light be installed on Alabama 119 at the entrance to the Greystone Legacy community. There have been numerous accidents and people killed there, she said.
Brocato also discussed the idea of the city building a performing arts center. Mary Sue Ludwig, a member of the Greystone Residential Association board of directors, suggested the city explore the possibility of a joint venture with Jefferson State Community College on land the college already owns along Valleydale Road.
City officials now plan to take the input they have received from the four Future Hoover meetings over the past two months and combine that with an online survey that will be conducted over the next six weeks to develop an action plan.
Read more about the three previous Future Hoover meetings here: